4 Ways to Successfully Navigate Divorce

 Divorce has been declining since the 1980s, but it’s still highly common. Around 41% of first marriages end in divorce, and that figure rises for subsequent marriages.

In many cases, knowing that there are many other people going through what you’re going through can be a source of comfort. But divorce isn’t like that. Even though some 670,000 people get divorced each year, going through the process yourself can feel like a scary, isolating, and lonely experience.

It’s important to remember that you will get through this. It just might take some time. How much time, however, is within your control to a degree. In this post, we’ve put together a few handy tips that should make navigating your divorce easier to manage. 

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Focus on Emotional Regulation

Even if you know it’s for the best, it’s likely that your divorce will be an emotionally intense period. You’ll experience grief, joy, sadness, optimism, and fear, in some cases all on the same day. The intensity of your emotions will subside over time, but that fact doesn’t make them easier to manage when you’re living through them. Taking steps to regulate your emotions, such as working out, sleeping well, meditating, and simply acknowledging what you’re going through, can make things easier to manage.

Hire Professionals

As we said above, divorce can feel like a lonely, isolating experience — but it doesn’t have to feel that way. And given everything that you’ll have on your plate, it probably shouldn’t be that way. It would be difficult to figure out how you and your partner will divide your assets even if you weren’t going through an emotional period. It’s even more difficult — or perhaps impossible — when you are. Working with an experienced divorce lawyer can allow you to focus on yourself, secure in the knowledge that the practical matters are being taken care of. You might also consider working with a financial advisor or with a therapist if you find yourself struggling to move forward. 

Create — And Stick To — a Budget

Going through a divorce can wreak havoc with your finances. In some cases, you might find that you’ve lost access to some of your money or that you’re incurring additional expenses, such as staying in temporary accommodation. Creating a budget can be a good way to prevent yourself from spiralling into financial-related anxiety. Take an honest look at your incomings and outgoings, create a spreadsheet, and stick to it. 

Think Long-Term 

Many people who are going through a divorce focus on their day-to-day existence. Yet, while it’s important to take care of business, it’s also important to avoid falling into the trap of becoming overly obsessed with the short-term. This is especially common when the divorce is problematic, when some soon-to-be-divorced spend their time and energy on securing victories over their partner. Minor disputes will be forgotten about in the not-too-distant future. Focus on doing things that will have long-term impacts, such as following good habits or working to get as good a settlement as possible.